UFC on FUEL Preview: Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny Markes

Aaron Simpson appeared to be on his last legs after losing consecutive decisions to Chris Leben and Mark Munoz two years ago, but a three-fight winning streak has his career looking up. He scored a decision win over Eric Schafer in his last outing at UFC 136. He’s a standout wrestler, a former two-time All American for Arizona State University, and has been effective using that wrestling skillset for much of his career.

Ronny Markes made his name fighting in Brazil and has only lost one fight since his debut in 2007. A teammate of Jose Aldo, Markes made his UFC debut as a late replacement for Stephan Bonnar, beating Karlos Vemola in August. He’s decent with striking and submissions, but doesn’t strongly excel in either area.

Look for Simpson to utilize his wrestling to control Markes on the ground. That’s the most effective strategy for Simpson to use, as Markes has never faced an opponent with the kind of wrestling skill Simpson has. As long as he goes that route and doesn’t try to stand and bang with Markes, Simpson should win this fight decisively.